Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi, Secretary, Department of Fisheries (DoF), Government of India, visited the ICAR- Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR–CIBA) and its Experimental Station at Muttukadu and Kovalam in the outskirts of Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 19.01.2026 to review the R& D programmes funded by the DoF and interacted with scientists and stakeholders.
The secretary inspected the Indian white shrimp (Penaeus indicus) Genetic Improvement Programme facilities being implemented by ICAR–CIBA under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). The programme aims to strengthen scientific shrimp breeding in the country through the development of genetically improved stocks of Indian white shrimp with a total cost of ₹25.04 crore. The secretary also reviewed the second DoF funded project on “New Age Shrimp System for Precise Use of Land, Water and Feed,” approved at a cost of ₹2.21 crore, aims to promote climate-smart and resource-efficient shrimp farming models. The Secretary also inspected the research facilities, including finfish, crustacean, ornamental fish, and crab hatchery units, as well as the feed mill.
Later, Dr. Likhi chaired a hybrid interaction meeting attended by the officials from the coastal states and Union Territories, including the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh where shrimp farming is practised in saline soils, shrimp farmers and entrepreneurs, who shared their success stories, best practices, and challenges encountered by them at various stages of production, processing, and marketing. During the session, Dr. J.K. Jena, Deputy Director General (Fisheries), ICAR and Shri Sagar Mehra, Joint Secretary (Inland), DoF, Government of India also shared their views on the upscaling of CIBA technologies with the support of DoF. Dr. K.K. Lal, Director, ICAR–CIBA made detailed presentation on the salient research achievements of ICAR-CIBA during the interaction. The following two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed in the presence of the Secretary, DoF during the meeting.
- MoU, between ICAR–CIBA and M/s Selle Hatchery Tech, Marakkanam, for the commercialisation of India’s first indigenous shrimp larval feed.
- MoU, between ICAR–CIBA and M/s BRC Marine Products, Odisha, for the use of rice-based Rice Distillers’ Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) as an affordable and sustainable protein source in shrimp feed for Penaeus vannamei.
The secretary in his address appreciated ICAR–CIBA’s contribution to national aquaculture development and emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts among research institutions, industry partners, and State governments to ensure timely and effective transfer of innovations to farmers. He highlighted that ICAR-CIBA need to extend its technology backstopping for the fisheries clusters being supported by the DoF in the field of brackishwater aquaculture. The interaction meeting began with welcome remarks delivered virtually by Dr. B.K. Behera, Chief Executive, National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB).
